Posts Tagged ‘Academy Awards’
8 items.
Feb28
Although I had seen most of the nominated films in consideration at the 77th Annual Academy Awards, I watched the telecast with very little emotional investment. It seemed in terms of the nominees, there was very little wiggle room for surprise. Most of the contenders were locks for their awards. I can say in hindsight that that came to pass.
I haven’t decided if an Oscar ceremony without surprises is a good or bad thing. Certainly from an entertainment perspective, it’s a bad thing. I mean, who doesn’t look forward to shouting at the screen when their favorite cinematographer isn’t given their just due?
But on the other hand, less surprises usually translates into more accurate award-giving. Who could really argue that Jamie Foxx didn’t deserve his Best Actor award? His portray of Ray Charles went FAR beyond kind mimicry. He truly inhabited the man.
*THE REST OF THIS BLOG POST WAS LOST WHEN THEATER HOPPER MOVED TO WORDPRESS IN 2009*
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So the Oscar’s were last night and there were no real surprises. Part of me thinks that’s unfortunate, but I also feel a sense of relief that things were played a little safe. Maybe it’ll return some dignity to the awards. Give them a little more meaning.
I have more thoughts on the specific awards, but drawing and coloring the crowd scenes in today’s comic kind of took it out of me. I’ll be back later with more.
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Okay, the Academy Awards start in about 20 minutes and I said I would come back to make my picks, so here they are.
Originally I was going to do a huge write up about who I thought would win and why, but I don’t think there’s enough time for that now.
Anyway, here’s who I think will win:
BEST PICTURE: Brokeback Mountain. I don’t know if it was the best movie of the year, but considering it’s origins, the difficulty the writers and producers had bringing it to screen and it’s overall cultual signifigance, I think it should be rewarded. Crash looks like it might upset, though. Especially considering the complexity of the storyline, the large and tallented cast and the fact that it’s set in L.A. – where the majoirty of Academy voters live. If any film could pull an upset, it would be this one.
BEST ACTOR: Phillip Seymour Hoffman. If the Academy could nominate and award Jamie Foxx for his performance in Ray, then they most certainly need to recognized Hoffman. His performance transcends pure imitation. You really get to see the person beneath the public facade of Truman Capote, warts and all. Again, considering the difficulty Hoffman and his writing partners faced bringing this production to film, he’s a sure bet.
BEST ACTRESS: Reese Witherspon. It’s her time. Public opinion is with her and there’s rumor that she’s being paid $29 million for her next movie. It’s safe to say she’s assumed the mantle from Julia Roberts. Is there any other actress out there right now that generates this much attention? Okay, Legally Blonde 2 was a turkey. She might not technically be a great actress, but she’s a certified movie star. Moreso than the other nominees. Except for Charlize Theron and she’s already won.
I give points to Felicity Huffman for taking a more challenging, "actorly" role. But tonight, Reese walks home with Oscar.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: George Clooney. I don’t know if his performance deserves it. I haven’t seen Syriana. But, like Reese, he has good buzz around him. Especailly considering his other film Good Night, and Good Luck has him nominated in the Best Original Screenplay and Best Director categories. He won’t win in either of those, so this is his gold watch. I think mosty voters will have his name on the ballot to see what kind of speech he delivers.
If I had my druthers, I would give it to Paul Giamatti – one of the strongest character actors working today, bar none. But I think the negative press around Russell Crowe during the period Cinderella Man was in theaters has hurt his chances. Poor box office of that film also to blame.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Rachel Weisz. I have no basis for opinon here. It just seems to be where everyone else is going. Some people are talking about Michelle Williams, but I really didn’t see anything in her performance that made me stand up and say "Wow!" From what I’ve heard, Weisz’s character is the lynchpin of The Constant Gardner and she delivers on all fronts.
BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee. I think this one is a landslide. None of the other nominees lensed anything quite so peaceful, beautiful and poetic as Brokeback Mountain. As the director of Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even Hulk, his versitility should be recognized. Right film, right time to give him the nod.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Brokeback Mountain. It says more with less. Again, cultural signifigance pulls rank here.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Crash. The complexity. The characterization. The multiple angles on the same story. It’s the most ambitious of the nominees.
Anyway, those are my choices. Really, a lot of the media outlets I’ve been keeping up with predict it the same. Really the only nailbiter is Best Supporting Actor. It could go in any direction. But the rest seem like locks. I think it’ll be a pretty standard affair for Oscar tonight. That is, unless Crash was able to perform some kind of last-minute rally. I view it as the dark horse. We’ll see!
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I had a chance to see Predators over the weekend, but I blew it.
As you guys may or may not recall, I’m pursuing my Master’s degree at the moment. The class I’m taking right now is this weird weekend thing that on an accelerated schedule. I go Friday’s from 5 to 10 and Saturday’s from 8 to 5 and after 3 weeks, I’m done!
Anyway, Friday was the first night of class and afterwords, I thought it might be fun to catch the late showing of Predators.
Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication and me forgetting to take my cell phone with me when I left the house that morning, I didn’t know if my in-laws (who were watching the kids) was having them spend the night at their house or if they were waiting at our house for me to come home and relieve them of duty.
It should be noted, Cami was not at home as she was attending an event that was on the calendar months in advance.
At any rate, I bypassed the theater and came home to discover… the kids were spending the night at my in-laws.
So, long story short, DON’T LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE AT HOME, PEOPLE!
There really wasn’t an opportunity for me to see Predators this weekend after that.
I’m bummed, too, because all of the feedback I’ve been reading from fans is that the movie does the franchise justice. Much better than the last two Alien Vs. Predator movies which are abysmal failures by nearly everyone’s measuring stick.
Critics are dumping on Predators, of course, claiming that it’s just another kill-o-thon where the only thing that will retain your interest is the order characters are killed in. But I don’t care because that’s not the reason I see a Predator movie anyway. I go because it’s a rare treat to see Stan Winston’s legacy living and breathing on screen again.
The character design for the Predator makes him (them?) one of the most indelible movie-monsters in history. It sounds superficial, but we root for the Predator because he’s so damn cool looking. And mysterious to boot!
I know people like to give Predator 2 static for being this awkward… thing of an action movie. But I LOVE that film for the small ways it pushed the backstory of the Predators forward.
Watching that movie, you know that the Predator wasn’t a weird one-off monster living in the Colombian jungle. He wasn’t an urban legend. He was a member of a species that hunt for sport. They have crazy Frisbees that will cut your head off and their elders will give you antique guns if you kill one of their own.
Dare I say I love that movie more than the original Predator? Well, maybe not. Predator 2 doesn’t have classic lines like “If it bleeds, we can kill it,” “Stick around,” “I ain’t got time to bleed” and “GET TO DA CHOPPA!”
Then again, “You can’t see the eyes of the demon, until him come callin'” is pretty good, too.
Not really. But, hey, GARY BUSEY was in it!
Anyway, whether or not Preadtors builds on the legacy of the first two films, I don’t know – but I’m optimistic.
What I DO know is that I have to squeeze it in sometime before Inception comes out. Because THAT is something I simply cannot allow myself to miss.
Did you guys see Preadtors this weekend? If so, what did you think? Does it hold a candle to the first two films or does it make you want to detonate your forearm mounted nuclear device? Leave your comments below!
In the meantime, enjoy this video. It’s about the best day of Adrien Brody’s life. And since Adrien Brody is in Predators, I’m sure you can see the connection.
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As promised, here are the nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards.
Scroll down for knee-jerk, armchair analysis below.
| BEST PICTURE 127 Hours Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone BEST ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR BEST ACTRESS BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS BEST DIRECTOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY BEST SCORE BEST SONG BEST ANIMATED FILM BEST VISUAL EFFECTS |
BEST ART DIRECTION Alice in Wonderland, Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat The King’s Speech, Eve Stewart, Judy Farr True Grit, Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY BEST COSTUME DESIGN BEST DOCUMENTARY BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT BEST EDITING BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM BEST MAKEUP BEST ANIMATED SHORT BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT BEST SOUND EDITING BEST SOUND MIXING |
Okay… so looking at these nominations, what am I most struck by?
Well, I was certainly pleased to see Toy Story 3 among the Best Picture nominees. Are they trying to round out the category to meet the 10-nominee criteria the Academy set forth last year? Maybe, but I don’t care.
Up was similarly nominated last yet, but it wasn’t coming into the category from a position of strength like Toy Story 3 is.
Toy Story 3 was the best reviewed, highest grossing film last year. It’ll be interesting to me to see if that colors the opinion of Academy voters.
Also, I think this is the only “threequel” to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar since The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. Will the Academy give Pixar a “gold watch” Oscar for their achievement in animation for the last 15 years? Hear’s hoping!
The King’s Speech leads the pack this year with 12 nominations, which kind of surprised me after The Social Network scooped up so many awards at the Golden Globes last week. I’m not upset about it because I happen to think The King’s Speech is the better film – stronger performances and more entertaining. I think The Social Network is very much a film of the moment and notable for that reason. But The King’s Speech is more old-school Hollywood entertainment and is much more satisfying.
I’m kicking myself now that I didn’t write a review of the film after seeing it. If you haven’t checked it out yet, do yourself a favor and get caught up!
Aside from that, my strongest reaction is reserved for the Best Director nominations. It is absolutely CRIMINAL that Christopher Nolan wasn’t nominated for Inception. A richly layered, technically complex and nuanced narrative WRITTEN BY Nolan… and he isn’t recognized. That’s a sin, man. The worst Oscar snub in years.
Apparently the Academy has some kind of axe to grind with Nolan because they locked Nolan out of Best Director a few years ago for The Dark Knight.
Both Inception and The Dark Knight have been nominated in several technical categories. But apparently the Academy thinks of Nolan like some kind of James Cameron figure – an effects hog that dresses up his direction with technology.
I can think of nothing further from the truth.
Here’s my reasoning behind why this was such an egregious snub: Among the directors nominated, David Fincher and MAYBE Darren Aronofsky have the chops to direct a film as complicated as Inception. But Nolan would have no problem directing films like Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, The King’s Speech or The Fighter – all films nominated for direction. Nolan could direct those films with one hand tied behind his back.
Nolan was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. If the Academy doesn’t give him AT LEAST that, it would be a damn shame.
The Academy is setting themselves up for another Scorsese-level bout of public humiliation for not recognizing Nolan’s talent sooner. It’s disgusting.
Alright, now that I got that out of my system, what’s your take on these nominations? Was there anything I left out that you wanted to discuss? Leave your comments below!
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So now that we’ve all had a chance to pour over the 2011 Academy Award nominations and digest this new information, it’s time to download your official Oscar ballot and start making your picks!
Will you choose wisely or will you choose poorly? We’ll have to wait until the award telecast on February 27 to find out!
Also for your entertainment, I’ve embedded the Oscar Nominations Announcement from earlier this morning. Enjoy!
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As I posted yesterday on the Theater Hopper Facebook page, I kind of keep forgetting that the Oscars are this Sunday. I don’t know why I’m not more excited about them. I guess because the field of nominations this year feels so… safe.
In my head, it’s between The King’s Speech and The Social Network to walk away with the big prizes Sunday night. It all depends on whether or not Academy voters buy the hype behind The Social Network being the “first important film of this generation.” Considering the voters tend to skew older and that they value more traditional forms of entertainment, my money is on The King’s Speech winning them over.
At any rate, here’s my 2011 Oscar ballot – complete with who I think WILL will and who I think SHOULD win.
What do you think? Am I way off base with my predictions? Who do you think will walk away with Top Honors from this year’s Academy awards? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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Join web comic celebrities Tom Brazelton, Joe Dunn and Brandon J Carr as we live blog the 84th Annual Academy Awards in real time! Follow along or feel free to join the conversation!
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